Dempsey returns to comic roots in 'Made of Honor'

Joe Sicari

Thursday

May 29, 2008 at 12:01 AMMay 29, 2008 at 4:12 AM

Over the last few years plenty has been made of Patrick Dempsey – the face, the smile, and of course the hair. Playing “Dr. McDreamy” on television’s "Grey’s Anatomy" revived Dempsey’s career, and last year’s big box office and critical hit "Enchanted" brought it to the next level.

Over the last few years plenty has been made of Patrick Dempsey – the face, the smile, and of course the hair. Playing “Dr. McDreamy” on television’s "Grey’s Anatomy" revived Dempsey’s career, and last year’s big box office and critical hit "Enchanted" brought it to the next level.

But something’s missing, for those who remember the young Dempsey, the teen star. His skill to do comedy in the films "Can’t Buy Me Love" (1987) and "Lover Boy" (1989) and others made him a star and made those films so entertaining.

The thing is, Dempsey hasn’t had the opportunity to use his comic skill all that often in his second career, so his new film, the romantic comedy "Made of Honor," is a good test to see if he can still pull off comedy.

Meet Tom (Dempsey), who seems to have dated practically every girl in New York. How does he do it? Maybe it’s his charm, or good looks, or the fact he has so many rules. Number one is he never goes out with the same woman two nights in a row.

Tom’s always been that way, even in college. That’s where he met Hannah (Michelle Monaghan).

The two have a strong friendship and have plenty of things in common. But Hannah knows how Tom is and would never date him. Tom, well, he looks at Hannah as his best friend. The two have never been apart until Hannah has to travel to Scotland on business for six weeks.

Tom never realized how much he would miss Hannah. As the weeks drag on he finally comes to the realization he loves her.

Set to tell her the night she returns, Tom’s literally thrown for a loop when she surprises him by introducing him to Colin (Kevin McKidd), her fiancé. And if that isn’t enough, how about her request for Tom to be her maid of honor?

There are enough strong comic moments in the screenplay by Adam Sztykiel, Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont as Tom desperately tries to prevent the marriage with the help of his friends. When the surroundings switch to Scotland, the location of the wedding and home of Colin’s family, Tom finds himself in a race against time as everything he tries seems to backfire. The end result, of course, is never in doubt, as in most romantic comedies recently. And the winning leads pull it off.

Dempsey uses the opportunity to show those old comic chops. The awkwardness that he instilled in those characters from his teen career is present in Tom as he deals with his feelings and the situations around him. Monaghan lights up the screen with a refreshing performance. The real strength of the film is the instant chemistry Dempsey and Monaghan have.

Backing them up is a solid supporting cast. The direction by Weiland is energetic.

Made of Honor is an entertaining romantic comedy re-establishing Dempsey’s comic skill while also showcasing Monaghan.

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